Prevent, contain and clean up chemical spills

G. Paul Belt

Turf managers handle a variety of chemicals, many of which-when
accidentally spilled-pose a threat to human health and the environment.
Most of the pesticides we use in day-to-day grounds maintenance become
either regulated hazardous wastes or pollutants if you spill them.
Regulated hazardous wastes are wastes whose cleanup the federal government
strictly regulates under Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
Pollutants generally are other chemical wastes. State and local
governments, and less strictly the federal government, regulate their
cleanup.

Advance preparation
To prevent a spill accident, limit the number of staff members you allow to
handle chemicals. Those staff members responsible for these substances
should be well-trained-either by outside professionals or through an
in-house training program-in the safe handling, mixing and storage of these
materials. It is essential that you maintain up-to-date Material Safety
Data Sheets and specimen product labels. These documents provide valuable
information to response personnel in the event of a spill.

To minimize the overall impact of a spill, purchase and store product
concentrates in as small a quantity as is practical for your operation. You
will forget the savings of purchasing a 55-gallon drum of material if the
drum is accidentally punctured and an extensive, expensive spill cleanup is
necessary. Mixing chemicals close to the point of application also is
helpful. If you have an accident en route from the shop to the point of
application with only water in the applicator, you can avoid or lessen
cleanup costs. After all, it is less costly to clean up 2 gallons of
concentrate than 50 gallons of ready-to-use solution.

Spill containment
Keep a spill-containment kit with your application equipment or at least
nearby. This can be a commercially prepared kit or one that you put
together yourself. Below is a list of the types of equipment and materials
to include. This is by no means an all-inclusive list. It is important that
you change the kit's components to suit your particular needs and the types
of chemical you routinely use. The photo on page 20 shows a typical spill
kit used by over-the-road chemical transporters.

The drum provides a convenient place to store and transport containment and
cleanup materials and will serve as a storage/disposal container for
materials recovered during cleanup.

The primary use of booms is to contain a spill. A variety of booms is
available to meet your particular needs, so select your boom based on its
ability to effectively absorb and hold the material from the spill. Because
most of the products we use in the grounds-care industry are water-soluble,
emulsifiable or dispersible, the bulk of what the boom needs to control is
water. Fillers for these booms include 100-percent polypropylene
microfibers, other non-woven fibers or expanded silicate particles. The
fiber-based materials will absorb up to 11 times their weight, while
expanded silicate materials are capable of absorbing up to 15 times their
weight in spilled liquid. A typical 5-inch by 10-foot boom will absorb 20
to 26 gallons of liquid. In selecting the best boom also consider the
residual ash content of the material. If the spilled material is a
regulated hazardous waste, incineration may be your best disposal option.
In determining disposal costs, hazardous-waste incineration companies
calculate their charges to customers by including the company's cost to
remove and dispose of residual combustion products.

Selection of loose sorbent materials also demands some decision-making on
your part. Two major categories of sorbents exist: those that absorb the
spilled material and those that gel the spilled material.

The advantages of cellulose and polyethylene fiber materials are that they
have a low ash content, they are lightweight and they are easy to transport
and deploy. Another plus for the cellulose-based materials is any residual
left after cleanup blends into the surrounding vegetation and will
biodegrade. Polyethylene fibers will not biodegrade, and their white color
may be unattractive in the landscape.

The expanded silicate particulate material has the lightweight advantage, but it creates more residual ash than the previous two types of materials. This mater
ial shares the lack of biodegradation and unsightly color properties of
polyethylene fiber materials. All three of these materials may be difficult
to place and maintain in windy conditions.

The clay and diatomaceous earth products, however, are well-suited to windy
conditions. While they don't biodegrade, they will breakdown in a
relatively short time and incorporate into the surrounding soil with few or
no adverse effects. The disadvantage to these two types of products is that
they are heavy and, when incinerated, create more residual ash than other
products. If the material spilled creates a regulated hazardous waste, you
should avoid clay and diatomaceous earth.

The gel absorbents fill a small but valuable niche in spill containment.
They offer the ability to immediately immobilize liquid by turning it to a
rubbery solid, which you can scoop up for disposal (see photo, above). The
gel adds little additional weight to the spilled material. However, its
usefulness is limited to pooled liquids. On wet surfaces, the gel tends to
stick and is difficult to remove. The relatively high cost ($12 to $15 per
pound) of the gel makes it a poor choice on large spills.

Sorbent pads and pillows are made from the same type of materials contained
in booms. They are available in several sizes and shapes. Pads and pillows
absorb spills that the booms have contained. However, whenever possible,
clear away pools of liquid with a pump or other means. The material may be
salvaged or held for offsite disposal.

Cleanup
In many instances, it will not be possible for turf managers to attempt
their own cleanups. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
requires that, under certain conditions, staff participating in a spill
cleanup have advanced training. Once you are able to contain a spill,
contact the regulatory authority in your area for advice on cleanup. If the
spilled material creates a regulated hazardous waste, disposal of the
spilled material and the resulting contaminated soil, debris and materials
contaminated during cleanup is expensive. While it is necessary to remove
all of the contamination to the established cleanup standard set by the
regulatory agency, you will want to minimize removal of any excess
materials. Most waste-disposal sites charge for disposal by the weight or
volume of the materials.

With recent changes in hazardous-waste regulations, landfilling of
pesticide wastes is not possible without extensive treatment prior to
disposal. In general, incineration in a licensed facility is the most
cost-effective means of disposal. These costs may exceed $650 per 55-gallon
drum of material. Handling and disposal of materials regulated as hazardous
wastes are subject to a series of complex and often confusing regulations.
Before attempting to dispose of such regulated materials contact your
regulatory agency or a professional cleanup contractor for specific
guidance.

Even though many of the materials you use do not become hazardous wastes
when spilled, they may still present a threat to human health and the
environment and are considered pollutants. As such, you must still clean
them up to standards established by federal, state or local authorities.
Contact these agencies as early in the cleanup process as is practical. You
can obtain a copy of spill reporting requirements from your state
environmental agency. Generally, officials can advise you of "how clean is
clean" and in establishing the amount of spilled materials that may be left
on site. They also can assist you in arranging for disposal of the
materials. Often, disposal of pollutants may be as simple as removing the
contaminated material to a location that regulatory authorities deem
suitable. Distribute materials over the location in a manner that
approximates the label application rate. If no suitable site is available
at your facility, offsite disposal is necessary. Suitable offsite locations
often include agricultural areas or local landfills capable of accepting
the material. Check with regulatory authorities before disposal.

Cleanup generally comprises one or a combination of these three methods:

Physical removal. This is the most common method of the three. It is method
of choice when the spill results in a concentration of chemical that
creates both an environmental hazard and an eyesore such as a large bare
spot or an annoying odor or stain.

Neutralization. This is the method of choice to treat low-permeability
surfaces such as sidewalks, parking lots, driveways or other paved areas.
Neutralization consists of applying a compound that either chemically
renders the spilled material harmless or speeds up its degradation by
changing the chemical composition of the spilled material.

In-place treatment. This method is best for oil-based spills, such as fuel
or lubricants. In this case, you must till the area to mix the spilled
material with surrounding soils and add nutrients that accelerate natural
bacterial actions. Depending on initial concentrations of the spilled
material, vegetation may be re-established within a few weeks to several
months.

If a spill occurs, do what you can to contain it. Keep the spill from
entering a storm drain, sanitary sewer system or waterway that exits from
your property and notify the appropriate authorities. In most cases, it is
counterproductive to apply water on the spilled material. This increases
the area of contamination and the amount of liquids requiring disposal.
Simply washing away a spill with water is not an acceptable method and may
violate state and federal law.

Post-cleanup testing
Most states require post-cleanup testing of the area on which a spill
occurred. A state-approved laboratory of local regulatory agency must
complete the analysis of soil samples taken from the area. Obtain
laboratory tests only if you are no longer able to see or smell the
chemical.

Most states require you to report all spills that threaten to contaminate
water, pollute soil or create a nuisance. Furthermore, in some cases, you
must file a report with federal government. When in doubt, notify the
National Spill Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.